Main points

The main contribution to growth can be seen in “Housing”, this has increased by 1.3% compared with Quarter 3 2016.

Household spending in volume terms increased to £277.1 billion in Quarter 4 2007 before falling to £260.1 billion in Quarter 2 2009; following falls in 2010 and 2011, it increased to £294.8 billion in Quarter 4 2016, the highest volume spending since the start of the series, in each quarter since Quarter 3 2014, volume spending has exceeded the previous high in Quarter 4 2007.

Household spending when compared with the same quarter a year ago has been showing positive growth each quarter since Quarter 4 2011; it was 2.9% higher in Quarter 4 2016, when compared with Quarter 4 2015.

The current price value of household spending, which includes inflation, shows how much UK households spent; in Quarter 4 2016, current price spending increased by 1.4% compared with Quarter 3 2016.